Paradise Hotel
by Tenshi-Yume
Summary: Hitomi is dumped by the one man she ever truly loved and in her depression she decides to go out and find a new lover. But her new lover just happens to be from a host club! Welcome to Paradise! R&R please!
1. Buying A Lover

**Paradise Hotel**

Disclaimer: i do not own escaflowne

Note: this story was created to get the author out of her slump not because she was high on shoujo and korean dramas

Note 2: you'llnotice throughout the storythat vancalls hitomi by her last name. this is because originally in japanese you'd refer to someone as Kanzaki-san however i've dropped the -san and just left it with the last name. if there are any more questions please ask them in your reviews. thank you and enjoy!

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_Welcome to a world of Paradise; a place where dreams never end. A place where you can find friends, companions, and even lovers. Partners who'd stay with you for however long you wished them to. Partners who'd do most anything you'd ask them to, from a little chat in a café to a night of pleasure. All it takes is one step. Come and enter our world._

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"Paradise Hotel," the woman muttered softly as she stared at the building before her. The building appeared to be small but just like the ad it looked exactly like Paradise. From giant palms towering overhead to waterfalls of cool, clear, blue water, it was almost too much to take in. There were even blue and red macaws flying around. It was a wonder that they didn't fly away. Perhaps they thought this was their natural habitat. But as the woman stood pondering she realized that such a matter was trivial and that she had other more important things to get to.

She took a deep breath before finally stepping through the automatic glass doors. Upon entering her once deep breath was sapped from her within seconds. Thinking that she had entered a jungle she could do nothing but stare and try to take everything in. There was a small lounge of red couches, where several women were sitting, set up to the right and a help desk to the front. A man was sitting at the counter sorting through papers as the one next to him smiled and chatted with a tall blonde haired woman. To the left was a hallway that seemed to lead to several rooms of which the woman thought were off limits considering no one seemed to be going there. Upon closer inspection she noticed that there were many different men wandering around the place talking to no single woman in particular. They were all equally handsome too. She had to admit, the place did indeed look like paradise, at least in a woman's point of view. But to a perfectly _intelligent_ woman such as herself, she realized that the place merely took up the name of Paradise but resembled that a lot of a host club.

"Maybe this is highly irrational," the woman thought. "Yes, this is all a mistake." But no matter how much of the idea was a mistake, her feet seemed to be planted to the ground firmly. Unable to move she looked around in a dazed fashion.

"Hey Shesta?"

"What is it Guimel?" Shesta responded as the woman to whom he was speaking with made her way out the front doors.

"That woman's been standing there for a while now. I think she's confused." Shesta looked at what Guimel was staring at and indeed he too saw a woman standing in front of the front doors, looking around nervously. She wasn't the average woman you'd see walking across the street. Every time she moved her head from side to side her long tan hair would wave in a messy fashion. She wore a sweater that looked as if she made it herself with cheaply bought yarn. And by the length of her skirt, Shesta could tell that she was a very conservative person. He also noticed that she would push up her big round glasses with her nervous and fidgety hands and then a few minutes later repeat the same actions. Indeed she seemed like a strange person.

"Ah! Good afternoon Mr. Fanel," Guimel said quickly while bowing his head with respect as a handsome man wearing a white suit walked in with a smile on his face.

"Thank you Guimel. Where are today's contracts and what is Shesta staring at that it looks as if his eyes will jump right of his sockets?" Mr. Fanel chuckled as his smile widened while staring at several of the day's contracts.

"Oh. I'm sorry sir. It's just that that woman seems as if she's lost and confused."

"What woman?" Mr. Fanel asked with curiosity as he turned his head and saw the woman whose feet were planted into the ground. "Guimel I want you to file these contracts and Shesta please prepare some tea."

Guimel and Shesta quickly attended to their tasks as Mr. Fanel walked in a smooth and cool manner towards the woman who looked as if she didn't fit in such a paradise. Even as he walked towards her, she continued to look around nervously. Mr. Fanel suppressed a chuckle as he was walking towards the confused and lost woman.

"Hello and welcome to Paradise. May I help you in some way?" he asked smoothly wearing one of what he thought was one of his award winning smiles.

"Oh. I– I was just . . .," she trailed off as her voice began to gradually disappear and she was once again fidgeting with her hands nervously. Mr. Fanel suppressed another chuckle. It was difficult to watch the way this woman was acting and not laugh.

"Please, let's sit down and talk." Mr. Fanel began to move towards the lounge when he noticed that she wouldn't follow him. Turning back around, he returned her strange expression with one of his own. He was beginning to think that she didn't seem to understand what sort of place she had entered.

"Is something wrong?"

"I– I can't seem to move my feet." She said glowing positively red with embarrassment. This time Mr. Fanel had to release his suppressed laughter which only embarrassed the woman further. He was still laughing happily as he took her hand.

"Then let me help you." He slowly walked her to the couches as her feet had been planted so long that it seemed almost difficult for her to even walk. As he sat her down he went across from her to the other side of the table and sat down comfortably in his own chair. Just as soon as they had sat down, Shesta came with a tray of prepared tea. As he set up the two cups, Mr. Fanel decided to restart the conversation once more.

"Now, what is the reason that you are here?" He asked as Shesta bowed his head before leaving with the tray and tea. Mr. Fanel took his cup and drank from it as the woman opened her mouth to speak.

"I– I actually don't even know your name," she replied with a gentle smile.

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Folken Lacour de Fanel. I run this place known as Paradise. I'm sure you've seen our ad somewhere and that's why you came here so I won't explain any of that to you. However we do have several rules concerning the business of this place that we wish for all clients to follow," Folken explained as he held his cup in his lap and proceeded with a smile on his face. "As for the first and foremost rule this place, as you've noticed, is only open to women. No man may enter unless he is a worker here but even then we give out different pass codes as an extra safety measure. I do not permit any violence within or away from this premise, especially if it concerns a worker or other clients. I also do not allow a client who is on an exclusive to keep their partner for more than a year's time. I do not tolerate women who start to believe in these fantasies that we give them as a gift and have them think that that is their reality. And finally the golden rule of this Paradise. No woman under any circumstances must ever fall in love with her partner."

"I see. By the way, my name is Hitomi Kanzaki," she replied casually as she was still absorbing everything that Folken had just explained.

"Oh Hitomi. That's a beautiful name. Now once again, I must ask the reason as to why you are here?" Folken continued as he took another sip of his tea.

"I want a lover," Hitomi said as she stared dimwittedly at her untouched cup. Folken looked up to see her bowing her head in what almost appeared like shame. Putting his cup down, he leaned back into his chair comfortably.

"Guimel?"

"Yes Mr. Fanel," Guimel replied as he suddenly appeared next to Folken.

"Bring me a contract for Miss Kanzaki to sign." Hitomi looked up to see Guimel hurry away to get a contract and then stared into the deeply into the brown eyes of the man sitting before her.

"At the moment everyone is quite full with different clients, but there is one person who is able to take you as his partner. He should be here shortly." As Folken finished speaking the contract was placed in front of Hitomi to sign. Everything in the contract was exactly what she had heard from Folken a little while ago so she didn't see the need to read it over again. She signed the contract with ease and then passed it to Folken to look over.

"Now in order for this contract to work properly you have to tell me what it is exactly that you want." He watched as she hesitated slightly and then felt the formation of a small smile from the corner of his mouth. Before answering she glanced at Folken and became a little fearful. It was almost like the man was evil and that within the chambers of his mind he was plotting her demise. Chasing the idea away she spoke.

"I wish to have an exclusive; a lover who is always with me and not with anyone else. Someone who will . . . never leave me," she said as she whispered the last few words.

"I see," Folken said still smirking before standing up and fixing his suit. "Then the deal is done." He smiled his warm smile while handing the new contract to Guimel before turning to leave.

"W– Wait! I don't even know who my lo– lover is," Hitomi returned as she held his arm as to stop him from leaving.

"Don't worry. He'll be here soon," reassured Folken as he held her hand within his own. The doors opened once more and a man walked through without any care in the world. "Speak of the devil."

Hitomi stared at the man who had entered just recently as he spoke with Guimel. He had messy hair that was the shade of a raven's feather. His red t-shirt was slightly loose but it showed his torso and muscles clearly. He wore black jeans that appeared to fit just right with a pair of boots in the same color. Though he looked a bit messy and unsophisticated, Hitomi couldn't deny that he was indeed very handsome. While admiring his face, she realized that he was no longer beside the counter talking with Guimel but standing next to Folken and clearly staring right back at her. Blushing furiously she immediately lowered her head so he could not see that she was really embarrassed.

"Miss Kanzaki this is my little brother Van Slanzar de Fanel. He'll be your lover for the next year." With a big smile on his face he pushed Van forward to encourage him to take her hand and give it a shake. But it had failed miserably seeing as how Van wasn't even speaking and continued to just stare with an indifferent face. "Well I wish you two one year of bliss and Miss Kanzaki please remember the golden rule. You must never fall in love with your partner."

"A– ah. Yes." With that Folken left the two to attend to other duties seeing as how he was the man who ran the place.

Hitomi then returned to her staring at the ground. Not that she wasn't fascinated by the beautifully tiled floor that so much resembled the sand you find on a beach, but she couldn't bring herself to stare at the man she would now call her lover. She couldn't even remember what had just happened within the last few moments. All she remembered was that she came her looking for a lover and got one a few minutes later. As she tried to make sense of what just happened over and over again, the feeling of a warm hand drew her back from her thoughts. Van's hand was touching her cheek and she couldn't believe how warm it felt or how good. She even liked the smell of it that filled her senses. He smelled like peaches. Although as strange as it was, she didn't think it was a bad thing because after all she did like it, she just figured it strange.

"Kanzaki? Kanzaki!" Suddenly her vision of a handsome boy lying in a field of peaches left her as she felt soft slaps on her cheek. "Aren't we going to go home?"

"R– Right." Hitomi replied as she started towards the door. Forgetting that it was an automatic door she immediately leaned against the door giving it a push. Van watched her strangely and was about to say something when the doors suddenly opened. He watched as Hitomi went into a state of surprise and shock while trying to get her balance. Before falling flat on her face he saw her move, twist, and position her feet in ways that he thought impossible. This woman was definitely a strange person indeed. Helping her up, she immediately pulled her arm out of his grip.

"M– my apartment i– is that way," she stammered before walking away quickly her face flushing crimson as she did so.

The way home was a silent one as Van patiently followed after a still embarrassed Hitomi. Though he had tried to start numerous conversations by asking her about the weather or complimenting how nice the neighborhood looked he was only answered with silence. Besides he was getting tired of talking to someone who didn't want to talk back. Upon reaching her apartment and unlocking it with her keys, she allowed him first entry. He looked around and saw the kitchen to the left, the living room right next to the entryway, and the dining room in the back next to the balcony. As he walked further into the apartment he walked into the small hallway and saw that there was a room to his left and one at the end of the hallway as well as a small one a little further down to his right. Opening the door to the closest room, he saw a light table in one corner and bookshelves in the other. Pulling out a book he realized that it was a fashion magazine and put it back for he was not particularly interested in such trifling things. He also noticed a lot of pictures of dresses organized into several files which were placed into boxes leaning against the walls. Finishing with the room's inspection he went to the small room further down the hallway and realized that it was the bathroom, which was also clean and organized. Before starting in the last room he was stopped by what sounded like a mouse's squeak.

"The room at the end is mine. There's nothing there but a– a bed and closet," Hitomi said nervously. She again looked down at the floor and fidgeted with her hands while crinkling her toes together. Van looked at her and thought that she looked as if she needed to pee but chased away that thought before letting out a deep sigh.

"I won't do anything to you in your sleep, so you can stop worrying. If you don't want to sleep together then I'll sleep on the couch." He scratched the back of his head in a lazy fashion while walking towards the dining room and taking a seat on one of the chairs. "I'm a little hungry. Would you like to eat?"

"Uhmm, sure." Hitomi went to the kitchen and whipped up what she could in the shortest amount of time possible. In the end Hitomi prepared miso soup with some cooked meat and rice and set the delicious meal in front of her new lover.

"Thank you for the meal," Van said before eating the meal prepared before him. Hitomi watched him eat as she slowly took of her own portion. Hoping that he wouldn't make conversation, she always put more food into her mouth so as to prevent her from speaking. But Hitomi got her wish anyway. Van merely ate with content and never spoke once to her or even tried to start a conversation. After finishing their meals, the two cleaned up the dishes and then sat in the living room as evening approached.

"So what do you do?" Van finally asked after drinking some tea they had prepared together although he said that he could have done it himself.

"I'm a fashion designer," Hitomi replied with a happy smile.

"That would explain the magazines in that room." But no matter how Van thought about it he couldn't imagine Hitomi as a fashion designer. After all upon first impressions she appeared to look more like a lab researcher or some science geek than a very well known fashion designer.

"Actually, I'm more of one of several designers for the fashion company Gaea. I enjoy it very much but one day I hope to start my own line." Van looked at Hitomi's sincere and serene face. He could tell that being a fashion designer meant a lot to her. But for some reason there was also a hint of sadness. Van decided that maybe he should change the topic before the woman started crying since being with a crying woman would put him in a dangerous situation.

"May I ask the reason behind you buying a lover?" He said casually as he took another sip of tea and felt the warm feeling slide down his throat.

"My previous lover left me yesterday." Van was a little surprised that Hitomi would tell him something personal and painful with such ease.

"I see. So this is a sort of revenge; something to tell him that you don't need him in order to keep going."

"No. You're wrong," Hitomi said her smile slowly fading. "I just wanted someone by my side. I– I really loved him but since he left me . . . I just thought that maybe by doing this I'd forget him easier."

"Then you're pathetic." Van looked at her as she looked up surprised. "If you think that by doing this you'll forget him then you're wrong because this will only make you think of him more. In the end no one can ever forget the first time they fell in love."

Hitomi watched as he took the cups away and washed them in the sink. Even though he appeared silent and uncaring, Van really understood what it felt like to fall in love for the first time. Maybe he wasn't such a strange person after all. Getting up from the couch she headed towards her bedroom to get changed and sleep the rest of the night off. Van waited patiently outside the doorway before Hitomi showed up with a pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other. Thanking her Van walked back out of the hallway and set up his sleeping area as Hitomi closed her door and proceeded to crawl into her blankets. She turned out the lights and lay comfortably in her bed, only closing her eyes after she heard the click of the light switch outside indicating that Van had gone to sleep as well.

Though the day had been warm the night was predicted to bring forth rain. With the sound of the droplets gently pattering on the balcony and against the window Van slowly opened his eyes from sleep. He got up and walked towards the bathroom only to stop right before he entered. Hearing soft muffled noises from Hitomi's room, he abandoned all thoughts of going to the bathroom and leaned against the door to the bedroom and listened. He could hear her sniffling and whimpering soft cries. Though the rain was coming down outside, it wasn't enough to drown out her cries. Cautiously opening the door, he saw her not on the bed but on the floor leaning against it. Hitomi continued to cry and didn't notice that Van had come into the room.

"Kanzaki?" Van sat down on the bed so that his knees were where her head was from the ground. Hitomi lifted her head and stared at him. Thinking that she had cried for quite a while, he put an arm around her shoulders and let her cry some more on his knees. After a while he lifted her from the floor and laid her down on the bed. Then putting the covers over her still crying form he decided to give her some alone time. Just as he made to leave he felt a small tug at his pants and turned back around. Hitomi was sitting up from her bed and cried even more.

"P– Please . . . don't leave me alone." She looked so desperate when she said this; her tears pouring out some more from her emerald eyes. Van sighed and sat back down on the bed facing her. Then slowly he helped her position herself so that she was lying her head down on his lap. He stroked her hair with his soft and warm hands as she cried some more. Though her mind was filled with thoughts of her previous lover, right now her mind was blank. The only thing that made sense was the faint scent of peaches.

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A/N: i know i know! i'm a horrible liar and slacker and procrastinator put into one! but but i have good reasons! . . . i think. :( but don't worry because i actually have half the story done on notebook i just need to type them up and make changes but . . . i'm just too lazy. i need motivation! but with learning how to drive, getting ready for college, filling out papers, and all that . . . no energy or motivation to type stories . . . so in order to get me back on track i'm going to start another story . . . that's all i ever do . . . start and never finish . . . i'm horrible . . . but sorry all revierwers who've stayed with me! forgive me! don't fret chapter three of **My Loving Tsubasa No Kami!** is actually being typed up onto my computer so i guarantee that before the week is over chapter three will be out. but for now hope you all enjoyed this read! remember to review! oh another thing i know peaches? but that will be explained later . . . it'll seem strange now but just wait! 


	2. Hitomi's Secret

Paradise Hotel

It was very hot. Not only was it hot but it was unusually heavy too. Opening her tired red eyes, Hitomi tried to assess the current situation. It was only until she tried all her might to straighten the blurry images in her eyes that she realized she was lying in the arms of her new lover, Van Fanel.

Slightly startled she didn't move, but she could feel slow warmth rising on her cheeks. She couldn't deny that this was indeed a very nice position to be in especially with a handsome man such as Van but the fact that he was half naked made her blush even more. It was wrong. It was all so very wrong. She had to do something but her body didn't seem to want to move. It was as if it had a mind of its own and currently it just wanted to enjoy the feeling of a handsome half naked man holding her with his strong sturdy arms. As Hitomi was thinking of more strange thoughts, she didn't notice the slight movement of the man sleeping next to her.

"Good morning," Van said with a soft voice. Hitomi looked up at his face and realized that he was staring just as intently. He didn't try to take his arms off her nor did he look away; he simply kept staring. It was a crime for a man to look so good. Even if he looked like he just woke up, he still looked attractive.

"I– I need to go to work," Hitomi said quietly as she tried to suppress the blush that was slowly creeping up her cheeks.

"Oh right. Sorry." Van moved his arms and allowed Hitomi to get up. Lying in the bed and slowly watching her, he noticed that she stopped moving and turned to stare at him. Saving her from embarrassing herself again, he quickly got up while muttering something about going to the bathroom.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hitomi quickly dressed herself before heading out of the room to make breakfast. She decided to make her and Van some omelets and coffee. After all he was one more mouth to feed. Getting her apron on she quickly pulled out some pots and utensils while putting water into the kettle. Then she cracked four eggs and put them into the pan. As she stirred and mixed the ingredients together Hitomi tried to remember what happened the night before so that Van ended up in her bed and not outside. Being too preoccupied with her thoughts she didn't notice snake-like arms entwining themselves around her waist in a tight embrace.

"Hi.To.Mi."

"Yu– Yukari!" Alarmed, Hitomi put the spatula down and turned around with quick movement only to stare into a cheerful face with red hair bouncing around. "I didn't know you were coming today."

"What are you talking about? I come every morning!" Yukari said with a confused face. She tried to find an excuse in her head that would make Hitomi forget such a thing and couldn't seem to find a good reason except one; her ex-boyfriend. He did after all dump her two days ago and Hitomi, who really loved him, didn't exactly take it the way she thought she would.

"Strange. If you didn't know I was coming then . . . why would you have two of everything set out on the table?" Yukari looked at her friend even more confused than before.

"That– that's because . . ."

"Kanzaki, after I fold the blankets where do you want me to put them?" Van walked in, still shirtless, while letting out a yawn. Stopping in the middle of his walk, he saw not one but two women staring at him; one blushing furiously and one starting to look absolutely livid. "I didn't know you were having a guest over this morning."

"Wh– who the hell are you?" Yukari who was confused before, now felt angry. First her best friend acts funny and now a shirtless man walks into the room as if it was nothing. It was outrageous! The poor girl broke up with her boyfriend two days ago and she's already fooling around with other men! Before Yukari went into a state of shock, Hitomi quickly led her to the table and sat her down while pouring her a glass of water.

"I– I can explain everything Yukari! Please just calm down!" Hitomi pleaded with her friend as Van sat down across from her and Yukari still fumed about his presence.

After explaining the events from the day before Yukari finally managed to calm down and listen to her friend's explanation. Though she didn't understand why Hitomi would ever buy a lover, she tried to reason with her conscience that she had no other choice; that her breakup with her boyfriend drove her to it. Yes, everything was that bastard's fault.

"Yukari?" Hitomi looked solemnly at her friend who took a deep breath and returned her gaze.

"Let's settle the rest later, right now we need to get to work. Hurry up." Getting up from the table and grabbing her purse, Yukari left the apartment without saying a word leaving the two in silence.

"Uhmm . . ." Hitomi twiddled her fingers nervously and bit her lip before a warm hand held her fingers still. Looking up she stared at Van and found that he didn't look as if he was even affected at all. He was calm in an almost abnormal way.

"It's okay. I can take it from here. Just go to work." He gave her hands a squeeze and smiled gently.

"Will you be okay here alone? I won't get back until after five."

"Yeah. I need to go and get some clothes anyway." Reassured, Hitomi took off the apron and gathered her things. Then with a faint goodbye, she too left the apartment. Van finished cooking the omelet with ease and sat down to eat with a hot cup of coffee. After finishing up and washing the dishes, he realized that Hitomi never answered his question of where to put the blankets after he was done folding them. While pulling on his shirt he decided that he'd leave them on her bed thinking that it was the most logical thing to do. After leaving the apartment and reaching the ground floor, Van suddenly realized that he didn't lock her apartment much less have a key to it. Already late as he was, he decided that on this day the heavens were giving him divine punishment.

Hitomi was quiet during the entire ride to work. Every once in a while she'd glance over at Yukari and then quickly turn away. Although Yukari didn't say anything, by the way she was driving, Hitomi could tell that she was still angry. Trying to start a pleasant and normal conversation, Hitomi opened her mouth a couple of times before closing it just as quickly.

"I'm not angry, so stop getting nervous." Yukari kept staring at the road even when Hitomi looked up at her with a slightly hopeful face. "I was just shocked that you'd find another lover so quickly, even if he's fake."

"I know." Hitomi stared at her hands sadly. "But after he left me I was so lonely and you know how I hate being lonely."

"You could've just called me!" Facing Hitomi, Yukari looked at her as if she had just asked the most ridiculous question ever.

"But I didn't want to depend on you anymore." Hitomi smiled a sad smile at Yukari who faced the road again and drove when the light turned green. "You're living with Amano now and you two are engaged. I'm sure you're doing a lot for the wedding and I don't want to disturb that happiness."

Yukari sighed for a moment and realized that she had also hurt Hitomi. Living with Hitomi was great; they were after all best friends. But when Amano proposed to her and asked her to move in with him, she couldn't refuse. Even while knowing that Hitomi hated being lonely more than anything, she still answered yes and moved in with him a few days later. She thought it'd be okay, considering Hitomi had gotten a lover that very same week and she seemed happy enough. But six months later, even after they lived together, he just got up and left her. The worst part was that that very same day, Yukari was laughing and smiling with Amano and his parents. That was just two days ago and even if Hitomi was smiling now, Yukari knew that her heart still held so much pain.

Parking the car, Yukari slowly got out and waited for Hitomi to do the same. Yukari locked it and then walked towards the elevator that would take them straight to Hitomi's department. Though they worked in the same building, Hitomi's department was different than her own.

"Please be strong today?" Yukari said with a grin while staring at Hitomi's blank face. "Don't let the bastard have the satisfaction of seeing that you still cry over him."

"I won't." Hitomi gave an honest smile this time. "After all I have someone better now, even if it is all fake right?"

"Right." Yukari watched as Hitomi got off the elevator while waving to her. Waving back, Yukari pushed the button for the doors to close and waited for the elevator to reach her floor. With a small ding, Yukari got off the elevator and walked towards her office all the while thinking that from now on she'd never let Hitomi feel such unbearable pain ever again.

Hitomi walked through her department and headed towards her office. All around her people welcomed her back from her absence. Some even asked if she was feeling better enough to walk around and work the next day. Hitomi almost forgot that she had called in sick the other day; the very same day she met Van. Though she walked with a small bit of confidence, she knew that once she reached her office all her walls would come falling down. It was hard trying to avoid your ex-lover if he was your boss. No doubt the news of their breakup was probably already being whispered in the secret corners of the department.

"Welcome back Ms. Kanzaki." The secretary looked up with a bright smile. Smiling back, Hitomi tried to enter her office as quickly as possible so that a certain topic wouldn't come up. "Ah, Ms. Aston isn't in today."

"O– oh. All right, uhmm . . . thank you for informing me." Hitomi slowly walked into her office and sat down at her desk. Well at least she dodged one bullet today. Now all she had to do was dodge one more; that is if he decided to enter her office again. Staring at her door with a slightly hopeful expression, Hitomi suddenly shook her head. No, their relationship was over; never again would she expect anything from a person like him. Opening a file folder, she decided to get through the day by thinking of new ideas for the fall line.

* * *

Getting out a suitcase, Van quickly packed his belongings while muttering to himself silently. Although living with a client was normally a part of the contract, Van still disliked having to move his things all the time, switching from client to client. Taking a quick break he lied down on his bed and thought about his client. She was certainly different than the other ones he's had in both manner and appearance. Though he had only met her yesterday, Van could tell that Hitomi was a kind and gentle person, who was weak at heart and very shy. She was also very beautiful, though her first impression would say otherwise. But if she wore contacts instead of glasses, cut her hair short, and wore clothes that outlined her body, then she could be every bit beautiful as the models one sees in magazines. While thinking of Hitomi's knew look, Van didn't notice someone entering his room.

"Sorry to bother, but I'm looking for Dilandau. Do you know where he might be?" A fair haired woman entered Van's room with pale skin and bright eyes. Van quickly sat up and recognized the woman at once.

"Celena!" Celena smiled at Van as he got up to give her a warm and welcoming hug.

"It's been a while hasn't it Van?" Celena let go first and readjusted her now wrinkled shirt before looking back up at Van's smiling face.

"So you're looking for Dilandau? I actually don't know where he is right now but he should be somewhere in this hotel." Though Van's answer didn't help Celena any, he knew that she was still grateful for the response. "I'm actually about to leave right now but we can go back to the lobby together if you want."

"Sure. I would like that." Celena smiled and watched as Van quickly finished the rest of his packing. Grabbing the suitcases that held the luggage he and Celena walked through the door towards the lobby.

"Though it was short, it was a nice walk." Celena and Van laughed together before snake-like arms wrapped themselves tightly around Celena's waist.

"What brings you here today my darling?" Dilandau whispered softly into her ear as he hugged her tightly from behind. Giggling, Celena turned around to return the embrace.

"Dilandau, I missed you last night." Celena kissed his cheek lightly before pulling away from his embrace. "I missed you quite literally."

"What do you mean?" Dilandau gave a confused expression as he kept staring at Celena's smiling cheerful face.

"You were with a client last night." Dilandau suddenly became horrified and tried to turn around and run to his room. Unfortunately for him Celena already had a tight grip on his arm. "I saw you walk into a hotel last night with one of your clients. I don't quite understand why because I would have thought that you'd remember what you promised me."

Whimpering in pain, Dilandau turned towards Celena and gave a painful but sheepish grin. As he tried to explain himself, Celena suddenly became violent. As Van watched Celena yelling and screaming at Dilandau who was trying to defend himself from her continuous attacks, he felt sorry for his good friend. He had to admit that it was amazing how long their relationship had lasted or even for Celena to accept him as a host. But as amazing as their relationship was, it was still one of ups and downs. Though they acted as if they hated being in a relationship, the truth was that deep down they loved each other more than anything in the world. And because of that love, they decided to get married. However, the deal was that Dilandau would not sleep with any of his clients and that he'd quit after their marriage. Of course Dilandau was disappointed but if she had set those rules than he'd be more than happy to comply. The screaming had died down on account of Folken's intrusion and now Dilandau was on his knees while holding a pouting Celena around the waist while apologizing over and over again. Oh yeah, that boy was definitely a whipped dog. Chuckling to himself, Van waved goodbye to Celena as she left after saying what she had to say and doing what she came to do.

"Damn, that woman is a beast." Dilandau stood up and brushed a hand through his hair as he sighed. "But I love her so it can't be helped."

"You're such a masochist." Walking over to join in with his brother and best friend, Van smiled as Dilandau glared at him with a look to kill.

"Try saying that one more time Fanel and I'll beat you to a bloody pulp." Dilandau grabbed his friend and put him into a headlock while preparing to give him an extra painful noogie. But before Dilandau could bestow his gift, Folken separated the two.

"Don't forget Dilandau that Van is still doing his job. You wouldn't want to ruin his pretty face now would you?" Smiling to himself, Folken held up Van's luggage, which had somehow made their way towards the group. While thinking of how efficient Guimel and Shesta were, Van took his brother's keys, grabbed his luggage then headed out the door.

"Do try to make Hitomi happy, Van." Van smirked as he left and Folken smiled. It was time to get back to work, now that the commotion was taken care of, and Folken slowly walked away, back to his office.

"You didn't tell him did you?" Dilandau turned to his boss before he walked away completely. Without having to turn around, Dilandau knew that Folken was smiling to himself.

"What Van doesn't know won't hurt him." Walking away once more, Dilandau just stared at Folken's back.

"You're really a cruel person Folken." Laughing, Dilandau walked towards his room and the lobby became silent once more.

Van waited patiently outside the tall building after parking the car just across the street. After looking up Hitomi's name in the file at the hotel, he had managed to find out where she worked. Then, like the perfect lover, he waited outside her workplace so that he could pick her up and take her home. Feeling uneasy, Van leaned against the building and checked his watch. It was nearly six and if he didn't know better, he could've sworn that Hitomi had mentioned something about finishing around five. He looked up towards the sky and closed his eyes. He began to remember Hitomi's crying face and how it begged him to stay and comfort her. He remembered how vulnerable and pitiful she looked. Just who was this guy to make a grown woman cry so much? As he pondered on the thought he didn't see the two women walking out the entrance.

"Van?" Hitomi stopped in her tracks and stared at the young man who now stared back.

"I thought you finish around five. Geez, you made me wait an hour." Van pushed himself off the wall and headed over to her. Grabbing her hand, he turned to the other woman and spoke. "I'm sorry Ms. Uchida but I'll be taking Kanzaki home from now on. You can continue to come in the morning but when she's done I'll always be here waiting."

"W–wait! Van!" Van dragged the pleading Hitomi across the street towards the car leaving a speechless Yukari. Leading Hitomi up onto the sidewalk, Van unlocked the door. The opening it, he waited for Hitomi to get in. When she wasn't moving to get into the car, Van looked at her curiously and saw that she was blushing furiously.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to get in?" Van continued to look at her intently. Just as he made a movement to touch her, Hitomi flinched. Noticing Van stopped. "Is it because I held your hand? You don't have to be so embarrassed about it."

Hitomi turned to face Van with her mouth wide open, in an effort to speak. But before the words could ever come out of her mouth, someone had called her name from behind.

"Hitomi?" A handsome blonde haired man walked arm in arm with a just as beautiful woman by his side. He stopped as he called her name and saw her turn around. Hitomi didn't know what was more embarrassing, letting Van grab her hand or meeting her ex while Van was with her. In a state of shock, Hitomi couldn't seem to find any words to say and kept staring at the two who stared just as strangely in return. It was then that she noticed the silver band on the young woman's finger. So the rumors that were circulating around the office later in the day were true; he was getting married.

"Is he a friend of yours Kanzaki?" Shutting the door, Van put an arm around Hitomi's shoulder while looking at the couple with a gentle smile on his face. "You should introduce me."

"Hitomi, who is this?" Although it wasn't meant as a question of accusation, to his fiancé it seemed as if he still cared for Hitomi.

"Hitomi, is he your new boyfriend? He's really handsome." Hitomi blushed again as she felt Van tighten the arm around her shoulders almost in a protective gesture. It was more than enough to see her ex at a time like this but it was worse seeing him with the woman who stole him from her. Not only that but she saw this woman everyday in the office. Though they acted like friends and partners, the beautiful Millerna Aston, always managed to appear as if she was the saint. Hitomi muttered something quickly to Van before trying to move closer to the car. "Allen, it's getting late. We should go soon. Father and mother will be expecting a visit tonight."

As Millerna lead Allen away, Hitomi hurried into the car. But just before she closed the door she heard Van speak.

"By the way, my name is Van Fanel." Allen turned towards Van from the other side of the street and stared. "Thanks for getting engaged, because if it wasn't for that then I'd never have met Kanzaki. Oh and good thing you'd didn't get her pregnant because it'd be sad to see her take care of her child without the real father."

After saying all that he had to say, Van got into the car and started the engine. Looking out from his side of the window, she saw that Allen had remained where he stood almost in shock. As they drove away, Hitomi tried to think of some reason as to why Van would say something so strange. She wanted to ask Van as he drove, but when she looked up at his face she saw something in his eyes that made her silent. He was angry but for what reason Hitomi couldn't understand. Trying not to think of it too deeply, Hitomi leaned back in her seat and stared at the road from her window. Though the silence was unpleasant, Hitomi dealt with it as best she could. After all who in their right mind would bother an angry man behind the wheel of a car?

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A/N: my back is in so much pain right now . . . i think it's because i sit and lie down in uncomfortable positions. so i had my mom rub some icy-hot stuff on it. i don't think it's really helping all that much. well another chapter is done for Paradise Hotel and i'm glad because this weekend i'm getting myself ready to move into the dorms. yay for college! i'm also packing my things to get ready to move to another location. i swear my family moves too much. uhmm an update on My Loving Tsubasa No Kami:once i finishing typing up the next chapter it should be up around the beginning of october if not mid at the latest so no worries there. anyway thanks for reading and remember to review please! until next time!


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